“The pleasure of knocking back bourbon lies in the plane of the aesthetic but at an opposite pole from connoisseurship.” These are words from Walker Percy's 1975 Esquire essay titled "Bourbon, Neat."
Simply put, the "bourbon aesthetic" typically refers to a visual style or design associated with bourbon whiskey culture. It includes elements like rustic, warm tones, wood textures, vintage or retro-inspired designs, and imagery related to bourbon production, such as barrels, distillery equipment, and the American South. It aims to evoke a sense of tradition, craftsmanship, and the heritage of bourbon-making.
Whether you’re a connoisseur of bourbon, new to the game, or even carry the label of “tater,” the aesthetic of bourbon drinking evokes a certain lifestyle to aspire to. Even non-drinkers of bourbon can picture the aesthetic of a classic bourbon drinker. Perhaps a ranch owner, the likes of someone like John Dutton from the hit show “Yellowstone,” after a hard day of work hanging his cowboy hat, lounging in a soft leather seat, custom made from cows on the ranch, (of course) right next to the fireplace sipping Woodford Reserve neat. Or perhaps it evokes a wealthy CEO, maybe the Logan Roy type from Succession, having an intimate business meeting in his/her private library, painted navy blue with hardcover books from floor to ceiling. They’re sipping their neat bourbon from a Glencairn glass, poured from a high end crystal decanter in his/her private library, with high rise buildings as far as the eye can see in their high rise penthouse loft. While the idea of a bourbon drinker can change from place to place, one can argue it’s always a lifestyle to aspire to.
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